Martin HD-28 32
1987 Martin Shenandoah Acoustic
The sound quality of this dreadnought is formidable to say the least. Strum it, go make a cup of tea, and it’ll still be resonating by the time you get back… a slight exaggeration perhaps, but only just!
One of the reasons for this exquisite sustain (and superior bass performance) is the scalloped bracing hidden deep inside the body, and goes a long way to distinguishing a good guitar from a great guitar.
The discovery of ‘scalloped bracing’ (with the inner body braces arched rather than straight) came around by accident. In fact, it wasn’t really a discovery at all – Martin used to produce all of their braces contoured without giving it a second thought. It was only when this practice stopped during the war that people noticed a difference in sound quality, and soon after guitars with the original bracing became highly desirable.
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Martin HD-28 32 Description
The sound quality of this dreadnought is formidable to say the least. Strum it, go make a cup of tea, and it’ll still be resonating by the time you get back… a slight exaggeration perhaps, but only just! One of the reasons for this exquisite sustain (and superior bass performance) is the scalloped bracing hidden deep inside the body, and goes a long way to distinguishing a good guitar from a great guitar.
The discovery of ‘scalloped bracing’ (with the inner body braces arched rather than straight) came around by accident. In fact, it wasn’t really a discovery at all – Martin used to produce all of their braces contoured without giving it a second thought. It was only when this practice stopped during the war that people noticed a difference in sound quality, and soon after guitars with the original bracing became highly desirable.
Another interesting detail is that Shenandoah HD2832s were made of parts shipped from Japan and assembled in Nazareth (Pennsylvania, home of the Martin headquarters).
The condition is fair overall. There’s a small indent on the back of headstock between the top tuners, some very light play wear on neck, and a 5” long mark above sound hole.
It’s an absolute blast to play and the attention to detail in the craftsmanship make this a very attractive acoustic in both sound and looks. Its got the volume you’d expect from the dreadnought, and the mellow aged tone you’ll love from a 25 year old instrument.
It was a tough decision to list this Martin – this is a sheer winner of an acoustic and is greater than the sum of its high-quality parts.
Its going to make a singer / player very happy as you just can’t go wrong with a Martin dreadnought in this price range.
Martin HD-28 32 Features
- Laminated 15¾” body
- Sitka spruce top with herringbone body bindings
- Solid rosewood back and sides
- Scalloped bracing
- 25½” scale unbound mahogany Vee-shaped neck with dark rosewood fingerboard
- Schaller tuners with engraved Martin logo
- Built-in acoustic pickup
- Snowflake fret markers
- Herringbone patterned backstrip on back of body
- Tortoiseshell pick guard
- Modern hard shell case
